Pre Live Period Kickoff: Sunday Standouts
June kicks off the start of high school basketball season for the next school year. This was a good weekend to get some warm up games before the live periods later this month. I caught a few games on Sunday…
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Continue ReadingJune kicks off the start of high school basketball season for the next school year. This was a good weekend to get some warm up games before the live periods later this month. I caught a few games on Sunday with mostly CPS teams competing in what was the elite 8 teams left in the Pre Live High School Kickoff at Whitney Young!
Kenwood vs Whitney Young
Probably the most competitive game I watched. The Dolphins would jump out to a 12-2 lead to start the game. Most of the run was due to turnovers and early jitters from Kenwood. The Broncos would soon cut the lead to about six when the battle between Tyler Beard and Rowland McCoy took off. Tyler kept his team in the driver seat making some exciting plays at the rim. Splitting defenders and finishing with acrobatic layups almost any time Whitney Young needed it. Whenever it seemed Young would break the lead open Roland answered with his own barrage of scoring spurts. McCoy worked the pick and rolls well at the top of the key and from the wing. Anytime the defender went under the screen he dribbled to a spot and knocked down a three. If they fought over the top of the pick he drove to the rim and finished through contact. Although Kenwood fell short by a couple of points it was an eye opening performance from McCoy and gave his new coach Justin Bowen a bright spot heading into his first summer with the team.
Lincoln Park vs Hyde Park
This was a battle of really talented 2021 guards Hyde Park’s Jalen Houston and Lincoln Park’s Julio Montes and Ismail Habib. The game started out lopsided as Hyde Park jumped out early on them with a commanding lead. In the process Jalen Houston had his own battle where he and Lincoln Parks guard Ismail Habib went back and forth on each other. Houston used his size and feel for the game with the smaller Habib looking to force a mishap. Jalen was able to get to his spot on the court and elevate for 16 foot jump shots every time. On the other end Habib used his quickness to beat Houston to the basket making good decision with the ball with a layup or a dish to Montes for a 3 pointer. One key moment was during the final minutes of the first half Habib was guarding Houston 94 feet with the clock about to expire when Houston dribbled to the corner then Lincoln Park ran another defender at him. Jalen then split them and put up a shot with both guys in his face that went in. In the second half Lincoln Park guards applied pressure and were able to get the score closer, but it just wasn’t enough get within a chance to win the game.
Curie vs Morton
A speed race from start to finish with Curie controlling the game the whole way. Ramean Hinton, Saiveon Williams, and Armond Williams are active guys who can guard any position on the court. They did just that creating havoc and turning them into easy layups and dunks in transition. This game was never close and Curie won in convincing fashion.
Westinghouse vs Evanston
This game was pretty close with Jaylin Gibson and Isaiah Holden controlling things for Evanston. They didn’t completely run away with this as Westinghouse 2020 point guard Devin Davis did his best to keep his guys alive. Davis was fun to watch as he would go on his own scoring runs to keep his team in the game. In the end Evanston had a little more talent on their side as Gibson was able to overpower defenders often in this one. The Wildkits advanced to the next round to face Whitney Young.
Final Results
Final 4
Young defeated Evanston
Hyde Park defeated Curie